Neighbours saved boatyard from major fire damage

13 minutes ago

Owen SennittHoveton

News image — Two boats and a boatshed were damaged in the fire

Owen Sennitt/BBC A white-painted Broads cruiser and two other boats with blue and white hulls that have been badly damaged in a fire can be seen next to a fire-damaged wooden boat shed — Two boats and a boatshed were damaged in the fire

A boatyard escaped major damage after neighbours spotted a fire and called emergency services.

Jenny Mickleburgh, director of Landamores in Hoveton in the Norfolk Broads, said the damage to the boatyard was kept contained as firefighters were able to respond quickly to 999 calls before the blaze spread.

The fire began in the early hours of 23 May and affected a wet boat shed and two boats undergoing work. A neighbouring property was also unaffected.

Six fire crews from across Norfolk were called to the scene and battled the blaze until 03:00 BST. Despite the damage, the boat builders remain hard at work.

Owen Sennitt/BBC A woman with long blond hair looks towards the camera in front of a boat moored up at a boatyard in the Norfolk Broads on a sunny day. — Jenny Mickleburgh, director of Landamores, has praised neighbours who raised the alarm

Mickleburgh said: "We don't know much about the details of what caused it yet, but thankfully some of the neighbours heard it and called the fire brigade.

"They came very quickly and dealt with it, which thankfully meant that it hadn't spread too far.

"Sadly, a couple of our customers' boats were affected, which is really upsetting for everyone involved.

"One of our wet boat sheds, which usually houses six or seven boats, has been very badly damaged."

Contributed Flames shoot out of a building in the distance next to a large boat, taken by a photographer in a car park at night time. — Six fire crews were called to the scene of the fire

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said its investigation found the cause to be accidental but did not provide further details.

The main workshop and office have not been affected, and the firm has a second wet shed which is currently storing a number of boats.

Watch: Boatyard blaze tackled by fire crews

Owen Sennitt/BBC A boat workshop can be seen with two vessels currently being built or repaired, with wooden frames around them. — Inside the Landamores workshop, where work is continuing

Landamores has been building boats in Wroxham and Hoveton since 1923, initially producing Broads hire cruisers before later developing offshore racing yachts in the 1960s and 1970s.

Mickleburgh, whose great-great-grandfather started the business, added: "We have a number of other operations going on and our core business of building and maintaining boats has been completely unaffected.

"So that is continuing as usual.

"We have had lots of messages of support from local businesses and our contacts, which has been really nice."